Consuming just one or two alcoholic drinks every day can increase a person’s risk of some types of cancer, a new study discovered.
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Some 47,881 men and 80,884 women participated in the Nurses’ Health Study and follow up study by health professionals between the period 1980 and 2010.
After adjusting for age, ethnicity, obesity and other confounders, light to moderate alcohol consumption (5.0-14.9 g/day) in women was associated with a 1.13-fold increase in the risk of alcohol-related cancers relative to non-drinkers. However, for women, increase in the risk of cancer, particularly breast cancer, because of intake of light to moderate alcohol increased even for non-smokers.
Though the recommendations should be fine for most people, the study authors as well as experts may encourage high-risk individuals to reconsider their alcohol intake or even abstain completely if possible. They include a smoking history, risk of heart disease, and family history of some cancers. Of these, 9016 cancers in women and 1611 in men had a known link to alcohol consumption, including tumours of the colorectum, female breast, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, liver and oesophagus. Overall, light to moderate drinking was associated with minimally increased risk of total cancer in both men and women.
During up to 30 years of follow-up, more than 19,000 women and almost 7,600 men developed cancers, according to the report. Their goal was to assess the influence of drinking patterns on the overall risk of cancer. No association was found in men who had never smoked. There are many factors at play in this study, such as smoking, which could increase the negative effects of alcohol, as well as the fact that heavy drinkers are much less likely to go to the doctor.
“High risk women who have had precancerous breast biopsies or strong family history may also be eligible to take preventive medications such as tamoxifen, raloxifene or exemestane to reduce breast cancer risk”, Pruthi adds.
Jurgen Rehm, director of the social and epidemiological research department at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, wasn’t surprised by the results.
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Drinking causes nearly 4 percent of all cancers worldwide and a similar proportion of cancer deaths in the United States, the researchers wrote in background notes. “Limit your consumption of alcohol”. These results look at alcohol and cancer from a brand new angle, and suggest a link that will surely be more explored in the future.
